pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light
by katanafleet
Summary: If there's one thing that Henry knows now, it's that Emma Swan loves Killian Jones. Loves him, loves him, True-Love loves him. On an ordinary day, this revelation (not that he didn't figure it out a long time ago; he's a perceptive kid, too) would bring a shrug and a "told you so" or a hug of celebration and a quick escape from the flat.


Henry Mills is a teenager with two single (for now; if Killian and Robin don't move soon, he's going to have to push them) moms. Being the considerate kid he likes to be (and Emma and the Charmings have encouraged him to be), he has in fact imagined how to comfort his moms in their times of trouble.

He has planned what he could say if they get dumped by their respective boyfriends (and he knows how he would kill each of them but that's beside the point). He has decided what to say if they found themselves in trouble because of their magic. After much consideration, he knows what not to say if he finds one of them drunk and moaning about their unfortunate one-night stand with Dr. Whale.

So he does know that the last one would never ever, ever happen, but it can't hurt to be prepared.

However, he's never thought about what he would say if one of the men they love was killed. If Robin was hit by a stray arrow; if Killian found himself in the hands of some old enemy.

Right now, it seems to be something he should have considered.

He and Emma run through the little town, hoping against all reason that that Snow and Charming (now the Evil Queen and her most loyal Black Knight, of course. His life is just wrong) aren't following them. He and Emma have only a few hours to get to Regina and convince her to help them stop Robin Hood's wedding to Zelena, Henry's aunt and Regina's sister.

Sometimes he hates his family and their propensity to intermarry. It's getting ridiculous. And a bit disgusting.

They run as quietly as they can, Henry speaking only to point out the next turn through the tiny streets and Emma not saying a word. Villagers see them but don't comment, instead choosing to hide in their homes when they hear the hiss of fireballs. Finally Henry and Emma break out of the town, no sounds of the Evil Queen's fire and the Black Knight's shouted commands behind them. Emma immediately finds the path into the forest.

"How far, Henry?" she asks. Her voice is tight and brittle.

"No more than five hours, I think," he replies, trying to remember how long it had taken him to get from Regina's home to the _Jolly Roger_.

"Good. Go ahead and eat. I'll keep watch for a bit." Emma strides a few paces away to lean against a tree without acknowledging his attempt at protest (he's fine, really, and they need to get to Regina's ASAP). He watches his mom as he reluctantly gnaws on a dry loaf of bread he had bought.

She's standing far enough away that he can't really see her face, but he does see her bury her face in her hands for a moment. Her shoulders shake. He gets the feeling that, if not for his presence, she'd be curled up in a ball on the ground, crying, as is healthy to do when one watches one's True Love die.

Because Hook is dead. He may not be fully dead (if they can convince the Author to rewrite everything, they can fix things, Killian Jones may be saved) but his mom just watched him die. Henry knows that Emma's reliving that moment over and over even as he watches it again (Killian's momentary victory over Charming, Snow distracting him, Charming's knife plunging into his back with sickening finality, Emma's scream, Killian collapsing in agony but never taking his eyes off Emma, Emma trying to run to him but _bam fireball_ ).

If there's one thing that Henry knows now, it's that Emma Swan loves Killian Jones. Loves him, loves him, True-Love loves him. On an ordinary day, this revelation (not that he didn't figure it out a long time ago; he's a perceptive kid, too) would bring a shrug and a "told you so" or a hug of celebration and a quick escape from the flat so he wouldn't get caught in Snow's wedding preparations. Right now, now that Killian's dead, he doesn't know what to do.

He finishes the bread. "Mom? I'm gonna go find a stream or something. The bread was really dry."

He's hoping that she'll wait there so that she can mourn Killian, or whatever she should do, without feeling she has to be strong for him. But she's Emma Swan, and of course she won't. "We'll keep moving and find a stream along the way," she says, striding back to his side.

Her eyes are red and he can see traces of tears on her cheeks. Henry hugs her briefly (she buries her face in his hair and he can feel her shudder. He knows that this is going to be the only weakness she allows herself). She pulls away after a moment, and a new and improved version of the patented Emma Swan Mask is up and ready for action.

"Let's go find Regina and we're going to fix this thing, kid."

Thankfully, Henry has a long line of family and almost-family that are uncannily good at tracking and finding their way through a forest. Emma obviously gained the skills from her parents and her years on the streets, and Henry is also Baelfire's son. They find Regina's little hideout without much trouble.

They walk alongside the Royal Highway at one point and Emma stares at the forest floor, avoiding the sight of the road and the memories on its path.

Emma asks him to leave her and Regina to talk for a moment (right now, Emma's their only chance of convincing Regina), and of course he agrees, striding over to stand in the woods where he can't hear his moms. Naturally, he's usually not an eavesdropper (Regina grounded the impulse out of him when he was seven). However, this conversation is something he decides he needs to hear.

He creeps over to listen. Regina's voice is uncertain and self-conscious. "I know what my heart says. But what if his doesn't say the same thing?" Henry stares at the opening to the hideout for a moment. This is his mom? The great and sometimes terrible Regina? Weird.

Emma's voice is shaky. She's lost her Emma Swan Mask already. "Isn't that a risk you're willing to take?" She pauses for a moment, gathering strength. "I just watched the man I love die."

Henry has never heard his mom so sympathetic. So very weird. "I'm-I'm sorry. That's horrible."

Emma's voice is stronger, but still cracked along the edges. "The worst part is that I never told him I loved him. Not once. I was too scared. Too scared that somehow saying it would make it real, and change everything." Henry aches with pain for his heartbroken mom all of a sudden. "But now I'll never have a chance to take that next step with him, because he's gone." She's actually crying now. Henry wants to run down there and hug her, but that probably wouldn't go well. "My only chance, with him, is if _you don't make the same mistake I did_."

Henry leans back against a tree and waits, listening to the murmurs of the women below. He holds his breath and tries not to break down because the closest thing left he had to a father is dead. If Regina doesn't agree to help, they're going to have to find another way. They can go kill or slow down Zelena before she gets to the church. They can find Isaac and convince him. They can – "Henry!" Emma's strengthening voice calls. "We need to get going."

He dashes down the ladder. "Are you going to help us?" he asks. Regina half-smiles.

"I am." In his younger days, Henry would have shrieked in glee and run to hug her as tight as his skinny self could manage. Today, he settles for a wide grin of thanks.

"Let's get to that church," Emma says. "Maybe Robin will be there early and you can convince him."

Of course, it doesn't happen that smoothly. Emma fights Rumplestiltskin with fancy moves Killian must have taught her and gets thrown onto some bags of grain. He fights Rumplestiltskin and is disarmed. He's just prepared himself to die (but his moms can do it, they can fix everything, they can bring him and Killian back, he knows it) when Regina gets in the way of the Light One's blade (Light One, seriously?). He's left sitting confusedly next to his dying mother.

Emma rouses herself and stands over Regina, staring down at them. When Isaac taunts them, she punches him in the face and Henry resists the urge to cheer. His mom was cool. "You will change things. Make them the way they were." With a crack in her façade, she demands, "Bring back Hook." She masters herself and ends with, "Save Regina."

The church bells ring. His heart, already shattered because Regina is _dying_ , breaks for his mom when he sees Emma's face as she realizes that Killian Jones is actually dead, her parents are evil, that all this has to remain the way it is. And they can do _nothing_ to stop it.

After magic and a quill and some writing he remembers only vaguely (he's the new Author, what even is wrong with his life), he wakes up to find himself lying on the asphalt across the street from Mr. Gold's shop. Emma hugs him tightly. "Henry," she gasps. Suddenly Emma pulls away – "Hook!" – and runs to find the man she loves.

The darkness takes Emma away in a flash of blue light the whole town sees. Henry runs out of Gold's shop from his and Belle's vigil beside his grandfather's unconscious body to find his mother gone and Killian collapsed in the fetal position in the middle of the road. Snow and Charming hug him, their stricken expressions revealing all; Regina smiles weakly at him; and Robin, with a solemn nod, lightly pushes him towards Killian.

He kneels down next to the shaking pirate and sees the thing he's clutching hard enough that his knuckles are white. The Dark One's dagger with _Emma Swan_ etched across it. (Because of course he couldn't have a break, he couldn't sit back and enjoy normal life, maybe ask Grace out, _no_ , his mom has to go all self-sacrificing and become the bloody _Dark One_. He really wants to cry.)

He coughs lightly so that Killian doesn't hook him or something when he finally notices that he's not alone. Killian starts but stays on the ground, his hand not loosening his hold on the dagger.

"We'll find her, you know that, right?" Henry says slowly. "Remember what Grandpa said once? That's what this family does, find people. Because we really don't like to give up."

Killian uncurls and sits up, the dagger cradled in his arms. His eyes, red around the edges, shine with tears that he knows won't fall. Henry really doesn't know what to do with this. He really should have planned for Emma-or-Regina-or-Killian-or-Robin-losing-their-love. It would have been helpful. "How do we even start, lad?" Killian asks, his voice cracking.

"We start looking, and we don't give up. I don't care if we have to go all the way to Camelot, wherever it is, and back. We'll find her. Just like she found you."

Killian doesn't take his eyes off Henry. It's a little disconcerting, having those ancient blue eyes stare at him for so long, but he lets the man think, run through the possibilities, the ways they'll search for her. Finally, Killian flips the dagger around singlehandedly and passes it to Henry. He offers a hand up and they stand. "Of course, lad. We'll always find her."

Snow creeps forward and takes the dagger from Henry and she and Charming stare at it, at their daughter's name on the blade that, for so long, had said _Rumplestiltskin_. Killian looks around at the tearful faces of Snow and Charming, Regina and Robin, and Henry. He manages a grin, shaky on the edges just like Emma's was only a few hours ago (suddenly, to Henry, it feels like years, when he and Emma watched Killian die and convinced Regina to help them).

"Come on, my boy," he says softly, clapping his hand on Henry's shoulder. "We've got work to do."


End file.
